Black Friday: A Procrastinator Opts Out

Black Friday has come and gone.  And again this year, I bought not a single gift, took advantage of not a single bargain.  Just knowing that others are out there in the predawn hours, getting the jump on the holiday shopping game with their lists and their coupons, always makes me feel like a slouch.  And a chicken.  Because the truth is, you couldn't pay me to swim through those crowds and stand in those lines.  

So now that I'm officially behind on my holiday gift acquisition, here are a few of the ways I plan to deal with my late start.

1.  Cut back on the whole deal.  Less shopping, less spending, less store-bought gifts overall.

2.  Loosen up about the deadline.  Luckily, I come from a long line of procrastinators, so my family is used to adjusting the dates of holidays to accommodate lateness.  In our book, a gift is not late as long as it reaches the recipient before the holiday comes around the next year.

3.  Keep in mind what and why we are celebrating in the first place.  And no, despite the dire business page urgings, it is not to rescue retailers and breathe life into our anemic economy.  

4.  Ignore advertising and media messages that holiday shopping is some kind of state of emergency.  Even if there are "only 28 shopping days left," I don't need to cancel all other activities and arrange for a police escort to the nearest mall. 

5.  Don't lose my head; and be strategic.  Keep breathing, don't wander aimlessly, and stay out of stores and off the road on weekends and during peak hours.  

From the preliminary news reports, this particular Friday after Thanksgiving went black without me.  I reaped the benefits of avoiding participation in lower blood pressure and time to hit the gym.  The way I see it, this was a better beginning to the season than if I had knocked off half my list and realized massive savings.  From this inauguration, I am going to make every effort to keep the whole thing low key.  Just because I "procrastinated" on the holiday shopping project does not mean I need to get frantic.